On the Future: Prospects for Humanity
Written by Martin Rees
Narrated by Martin Rees and Samuel West
3.5/5
()
About this audiobook
A provocative and inspiring look at the future of humanity and science from world-renowned scientist and bestselling author Martin Rees
Humanity has reached a critical moment. Our world is unsettled and rapidly changing, and we face existential risks over the next century. Various outcomes—good and bad—are possible. Yet our approach to the future is characterized by short-term thinking, polarizing debates, alarmist rhetoric, and pessimism. In this short, exhilarating book, renowned scientist and bestselling author Martin Rees argues that humanity’s prospects depend on our taking a very different approach to planning for tomorrow.
The future of humanity is bound to the future of science and hinges on how successfully we harness technological advances to address our challenges. If we are to use science to solve our problems while avoiding its dystopian risks, we must think rationally, globally, collectively, and optimistically about the long term. Advances in biotechnology, cybertechnology, robotics, and artificial intelligence—if pursued and applied wisely—could empower us to boost the developing and developed world and overcome the threats humanity faces on Earth, from climate change to nuclear war. At the same time, further advances in space science will allow humans to explore the solar system and beyond with robots and AI. But there is no “Plan B” for Earth—no viable alternative within reach if we do not care for our home planet.
Rich with fascinating insights into cutting-edge science and technology, this accessible book will captivate anyone who wants to understand the critical issues that will define the future of humanity on Earth and beyond.
Martin Rees
Martin Rees is Professor of Cosmology and Astrophysics and Master of Trinity College at the University of Cambridge. He was the President of the Royal Society until this year, and is the Astronomer Royal. A member of the House of Lords, he is a foreign associate of the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and is an honorary member of the Russian Academy of Sciences. His awards include the Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society, the Einstein Award of the World Cultural Council and the Crafoord Prize (Royal Swedish Academy).
More audiobooks from Martin Rees
Ripples in Spacetime: Einstein, Gravitational Waves, and the Future of Astronomy Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Just Six Numbers: The Deep Forces That Shape the Universe Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5If Science is to Save Us Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Related to On the Future
Related audiobooks
On the Future: Prospects for Humanity Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Know This: Today's Most Interesting and Important Scientific Ideas, Discoveries, and Developments Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This Idea is Brilliant: Lost, Overlooked, and Underappreciated Scientific Concepts Everyone Should Know Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5What to Think About Machines That Think: Today's Leading Thinkers on the Age of Machine Intelligence Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5What Should We Be Worried About?: Real Scenarios That Keep Scientists Up at Night Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This Explains Everything: Deep, Beautiful, and Elegant Theories of How the World Works Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Technological Singularity Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Infinite Progress: How the Internet and Technology Will End Ignorance, Disease, Poverty, Hunger, and War Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Precipice: Existential Risk and the Future of Humanity Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Invention of Tomorrow: A Natural History of Foresight Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Future Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Future Morality Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Unintended Consequences of Technology: Solutions, Breakthroughs, and the Restart We Need Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Five Forces That Change Everything: How Technology is Shaping Our Future Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5The Evolution of Everything: How New Ideas Emerge Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Future Minds: The Rise of Intelligence, from the Big Bang to the End of the Universe Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAlice and Bob Meet the Wall of Fire: The Biggest Ideas in Science from Quanta Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This Idea Must Die: Scientific Theories That Are Blocking Progress Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Failure: Why Science Is So Successful Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Driver in the Driverless Car: How Your Technology Choices Create the Future Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Universe: Leading Scientists Explore the Origin, Mysteries, and Future of the Cosmos Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Energy: A Human History Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Ten Days in Physics that Shook the World: How Physicists Transformed Everyday Life Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Gravity's Engines: How Bubble-Blowing Black Holes Rule Galaxies, Stars, and Life in the Cosmos Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Why Trust Science? Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Dangerous Years: Climate Change, the Long Emergency, and the Way Forward Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Everyday Chaos: Technology, Complexity, and How We're Thriving in a New World of Possibility Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Copernicus Complex: Our Cosmic Significance in a Universe of Planets and Probabilities Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Science & Mathematics For You
Salt: A World History Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Quantum Physics: What Everyone Needs to Know Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Every Tool's a Hammer: Life Is What You Make It Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Outsmart Your Brain: Why Learning is Hard and How You Can Make It Easy Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Master and His Emissary: The Divided Brain and the Making of the Western World Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Brain Rules (Updated and Expanded): 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Algorithms to Live By: The Computer Science of Human Decisions Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Thinking 101: How to Reason Better to Live Better Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Cosmos: A Personal Voyage Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Expectation Effect: How Your Mindset Can Change Your World Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Comfort of Crows: A Backyard Year Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Quackery: A Brief History of the Worst Ways to Cure Everything Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Starry Messenger: Cosmic Perspectives on Civilization Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Elephant in the Brain: Hidden Motives in Everyday Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Conscious: A Brief Guide to the Fundamental Mystery of the Mind Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Radiolab: Journey Through The Human Body Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Thinking in Systems: A Primer Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Midnight in Chernobyl: The Story of the World's Greatest Nuclear Disaster Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5How Emotions Are Made: The Secret Life of the Brain Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Anatomy of a Breakthrough: How to Get Unstuck When It Matters Most Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Marshmallow Test: Mastering Self-Control Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Grunt: The Curious Science of Humans at War Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for On the Future
24 ratings2 reviews
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5This was...ok.
It inexpertly navigated subjects well outside of the authors knowledge base and it showed.
It delicately and meekly suggests that at some point in future, there will be issues and this book book is only five years old- precovid, but not pre-issues of overshoot.
It's hopium, but not much, it's knowledge, but not much, it's not insightful enough to be useful and it's not loud enough to be insightful- overall, this book isn't really worth the read and comes across written more as a vanity project than from any professional place. There's a Lot better our there. - Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I discovered this book when the author was being interviewed on the radio. I was fascinated enough by the interview that I remained in my car in the garage for five minutes after arriving home, just to listen to the remainder of the interview. Speculations about what life on earth could be like far in the future.